My Life as a Connector

As a little girl, I can’t say I ever dreamed of “being a connector.” When I began to think back over my life, I realized I’ve actually been connecting people to things they want since I was in the 4th grade. My very first connection was for my schoolmate, Ginger who loved Barry Manilow. My mom had an extra copy of his Greatest Hits album, and I asked if I could gift it to Ginger. To this day, she remains a huge fan of Manilow and has seen him in concert many times. 40 years later, Ginger and I even met up at an AirBnb and had our picture taken together with a copy of the same album that the owners had added as part of the decor.

You may ask what all this has to do with my profession, and it links back to my personal mission statement which is “transforming lives through the power of connections.”

My philosophy of connecting is “who can I connect this person with to lead to the transformation they are looking for?” In my opinion, connecting people should always have the goal of making a difference, not just to meet quotas or make yourself look good. Perhaps someone needs a connection to an educator because they want to go back to school and transform their future by obtaining the degree they stopped working on 20 years ago. Or maybe another person is suffering from a chronic illness and needs a connection to a health and wellness professional who is truly interested in their entire wellbeing. Then again, there are entrepreneurs, business owners, and salespeople who are looking to increase their business and want to be plugged into a proven system that helps them educate others on how best to refer them. I’ve even had people ask me if I could help make a love connection, and I’ve been known to do that too! I refer people all across the board – from addicts and trauma survivors needing introductions to good therapists to kitchen and bath designers needing introductions to realtors and mortgage brokers. I don’t discriminate with how I might help and add value to a person’s life. I consider it a privilege from God that I get to be a catalyst of change and a beacon of hope to those who seek transformation.

I feel beyond privileged to be a connector in my community among many business people who truly live in the spirit of giving, who raise themselves to a higher standard, and who expect nothing less of the colleagues and clients they encourage and support on a daily basis. Here are my thoughts on connections and referrals:

I aim to be a servant leader and it is my desire to lead with excellence and grow the businesses of my clients by providing the support, training, knowledge, and event and meeting opportunities which allow for relationship building and teaching colleagues how to be a reciprocal referral source.

I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. Connection is my calling. I desire to use my network, knowledge, and experience to achieve not only my dreams and goals but for all those who choose to do business with me. Meeting people who want something different, inspiration, and an introduction to a way of business life that will change the face of their business is something I will always love.

Referrals are hands down the most effective marketing tool a business can invest in. If one will fully immerse themselves in a culture of learning and excellence, and take advantage of every tool available, there is no room for failure. I always suggest a business person participate in several handpicked networking groups and attend with intention and goals in mind. These groups should include one exclusive, invitation-only referral organization, a civic-minded organization, a mastermind, a free networking group, and a social group. These five types of groups, if managed properly, will set you up for the best success possible. Stay tuned for my upcoming articles on the benefits and challenges of each group. Click here to read about the benefits of exclusive referral groups.

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Published by Ginger Terrell

Ginger’s work experience spans several industries to include Business Development, Sales, Marketing & Advertising, Insurance, and Food & Beverage. She is the Regional Director with the Southeast division of The Referrals Group and is passionate about business and personal development. Ginger holds a leadership MBA from Liberty University and is best known for transforming lives through the power of connections. When she’s not wearing her business hat, she enjoys gourmet cooking, blogging, traveling, music, and reading.
#fullypresent #PeopleMatter
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